Wendell White's Coronation
The Coronation of King Wendell White is the start of Wendell's reign as king of the Fourth Kingdom. Previously, the throne had laid in trust for him until he turned of age to rule. It is assumed that he either turned 21 on the day of the Coronation or at midnight when he was crowned. Also, this event was the climax and end of the Evil Queen's second attempt at gaining control of both the Fourth Kingdom and the rest of the Nine Kingdoms. Background Lord Rupert, a member of Wendell's court and council, planned the Coronation in the three and a half years prior to the event. However, the coronation almost did not happen. After Wendell went missing (turned into a dog and the dog-human being in his step-mother's custody), his advisors were faced with the task of what to do concerning the invasion of the Troll King and his army. The Old Retainer believed that with the death of Viscount Lanksey they advisors were left with no choice but to seek aid from the other kingdoms. Should they have followed through on this plan, the Fourth Kingdom would have been ruled in perpetuity by the Council of the Nine Kingdoms and Wendell would have never taken the throne. Sensing the dangers of the situation, the Evil Queen poisoned Relish and his army at the Merrypip's Apple Orchard and beheaded him. Her dog-Wendell rode through the kingdom showing off the head to his people and returning triumphantly to his palace for the coronation. The Evil Queen slipped into the palace, finalizing the last pieces of her plans to kill all guests who were to attend the event. Summary Raiding the Palace Virginia and the Queen A short time before the coronation, Virginia Lewis and her father learned how she was related to the Wendell's step-mother. Upon sneaking into the castle and being led into the Queen's apartments of the palace by Wolf, they found the mirror to return to New York. Virginia insisted on seeing and speaking with her mother, whom she had not seen in over 14 years. Christine and her Huntsman appeared to confront them in the mirror room. The Betrayal Once the Queen arrived to address Virginia's "last request" to meet her, Wolf asked the Queen, "did I do well, Your Majesty?" She answered, "Excellent well." It was at this time that Virginia and Tony learned that Wolf had been working for Christine since the beginning of their journey. The Huntsman took Tony to the dungeon and Wolf to the kitchen to help with the poison punch. Whilest talking with her daughter, Christine attempted for a second time to strangle Virginia. When Virginia was able to stop her, she was sent by Christine down to the dungeon to be with her father and out of the Queen's plans until after the ball. There, Virginia learned from her father about her mother attempting to drown her in the bathtub the night her mother disappeared. Royal Guest As said by the Evil Queen, "every king, queen, emperor, and dignitary" was invited and accepted the invitation to the Coronation Ball. In attendance were Queen Riding Hood III of the 2nd Kingdom, Queen Leaf-Fall and her husband King Olaf of the 7th Kingdom, and the Naked Emperor of the 5th Kingdom. Also, Wendell's maternal grandmother, Cinderella, attended, which was her first public appearance in many years. The Tests Before Wendell could become king, he had to prove himself worthy of the throne. The standard three tests to prove oneself to be a good leader is courage, wisdom, and humility. Previously, his advisors had planned pre-arranged acts of bravery before the ball so that he could use them in these tests. The Evil Queen had coached her Dog-Prince well enough to perform before the royals. Test 1: Courage Queen Leaf-Fall stepped forward to ask, "Wendell...It is a very great responsibility that you take upon your young shoulders today, and I'm wondering if you are brave enough to join us." With the entire audience shouting "Tell us a tale!", the Dog-Prince told of how the Troll King threatened the kingdom, so he challenged him to a fight, "man-to-mutt." He told of how he snarled at the king, dropped to all fours, jump up and "ripped his throat out!" King Olaf was the first to congratulate him, with everyone joining in. Leaf-Fall then pronouced "Wendell is King of Courage!" to great applause. Only Cinderella did not join in, left with a look of concern on her face. Test 2: Wisdom Queen Riding Hood III came forward next to ask, "What wisdom have you learned on your recent journey through your kingdom?" The Dog-Prince answered that having traveled all over, he had found bones, "100 fresh, juicy bones. So, I took one and buried the other 99." At first, all in the room exchanged glances of confusion. Leaf-Fall said, "Sound thinking?" After a moment, Riding Hood interpreted his story as "building up reserves for times of war. Wise indeed!" Chancellor Griswald then proclaimed him, "Wise Wendell" with the royals offering praise. Cinderella again was the only person to remain skeptic of the answer. Test 3: Humility Finally as the Dog-Prince was about to be crowned, Cinderella stopped the procedings to ask, "Are you really Prince Wendell White, grandson of Snow White, the man who would be king." After tripping over his words, the Dog-Prince answered "No! I'm an imposter!" He went on to explain that he would never be great like Snow White, that some were born to lead but he was a pack animal. Finally, on his knees he said, "I do not want the job! I will not take the job! I... am not...worthy!" Impressed, Cinderella stated that he had passed the third test and shown humility. After this, he was immediately crowned king. 'The Assassination Attempt and Evil Queen's End' Once the Dog-Prince was crowned, he was offered by Wolf, disguised as a servant, a glass of punch for the Royal Toast. He lifted his glass, toasting to "Everlating peace and all the bones we can gnaw!" Everyone accepted the toast and drank. Within seconds, every royal and courtier was on the floor have succumbed to whatever was in each glass. Feeling victorious, the Evil Queen entered the room, followed by the Huntsman and Virginia, since all three had been watching from the wings. Christine ordered her daughter to flee from the palace. When Virginia refused, she shouted, "You were nothing but an accident. You should have been killed at birth!" Virginia stuck her mother for such a hateful speech. Christine demanded her Huntsman kill Virginia immediately. As he stretch his arm out to shoot his crossbow, Wolf tackled him onto a nearby table with the crossbow's arrow having been shoot into the air. Christine attempted for a third time to strangle her daughter right then and there. The Huntsman was able to pin Wolf to the table, get on top of him and pull his knife from his boot out to kill Wolf. Then, the arrow from the crossbow, which never misses, struck the Huntsman in his heart, killing him instantly. Virginia with her mother's hands around her neck grabbed a poisoned comb from her mother's hair, scratched Christine's neck and drew blood. Christine fell to the floor dying. Wolf ran to get Wendell, who was still in dog form. Virginia and her mother had one last moment of love as Christine died in her daughter's arms. Shortly thereafter, the Dog-Prince and his guests awoke. Wolf returned in the room with Wendell, telling Virginia that no poison was place in the punch, "just a pinch of Troll dust." Wendell and the Dog-Prince then embraced and switched back to their rightful bodies. Category:Events Category:Crisis in the Nine Kingdoms Category:Fourth Kingdom